Shanahan, not Gruden, could be in play in D.C.
By Eric Edholm
While the initial speculation after a wild chain of events this morning centered around whether the resignation of Vinny Cerrato and the signing (I think 11 minutes later) of Bruce Allen as Redskins general manager would mean that Jon Gruden was the eventual apple of Daniel Snyder's eye, don't forget about Mike Shanahan.
Interestingly, Allen joined the Raiders' front office the same year that Shanahan got the head coaching job in Denver. They faced each other every year for nine years until Allen went to run the Buccaneers.
And though Allen and Gruden were a pair in Oakland and Tampa Bay, we hear them joining up in Washington is not a sure thing.
Interesting stuff that we'll be following the rest of today and, I suspect, well beyond that
Another Article & video clip
DMN: ‘Skins clear way for Shanny
This morning, ESPN Radio 980 in Washington D.C. reported that Vinny Cerrato has resigned as the vice president of the Redskins. What does this mean for the ‘Skins? Well, this isn't the first time Cerrato has been fired by the team. The last time, he was fired by then-coach Marty Schottenheimer, who had all the power -- and once Schottenheimer was fired, Cerrato was brought back. Now, there will be no bringing him back. It is being reported that the 'Skins have hired Bruce Allen as their vice president of football operations and general manager.
Here’s what Cerrato had to say about his departure, issued as a statement released by the team: “We agreed that the franchise needs someone different in this position. I'm thankful to Dan Snyder and other members of his ownership team for the opportunities I've been given over the years.”
So what does it mean? It means that many of us, including me, were wrong in thinking that Cerrato would remain in spite of the likely change in coaches. Now, the decks have been fully cleared for the next head coach/general manager. And my sources tell me that it will still be Mike Shanahan; pay no attention to timing of the move, which some would imply has something to do with Mike Holmgren. This move allows the next head coach (Shanny) to walk into the building with all the authority and allows him to rebuild and repair the organization — with each new hire coming with his blessing.
Here's a clip of Adam Schefter also speculating that Shanahan might still be in play for the HC job.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4750925